At about 2:40 PM, an immature NORTHERN SHRIKE, presumably the one found
earlier by Benjamin Van Doren, was hunting sparrows along Napeague Meadow
Road (Suffolk Co.). This is the straight stretch between the main bend and
the railroad crossing. The shrike was working along the line of trees
bordering the marsh, then flew up onto the telephone wires before crossing
onto the south side of the road and disappearing into the small pines
bordering the railway tracks. A MERLIN and an immature male Northern Harrier
were working the same area, often sparring with each other. I searched for a
further 20 mins but couldn't relocate the shrike, even looking on the ocean
side of Montauk Highway (Rt. 27) and through the small community (White
Sands Resort). If I understand correctly, Benjamin had seen the shrike 3/4-1
mile north of this spot near Lazy Point and I can't help wondering if this
might not be the bird spotted in that area by Anthony Collerton back on 11
Dec 2010. There is a lot of shrike worthy habitat here, much of it
relatively inaccessible during hunting season and I can believe a wide
ranging bird might evade detection, even by the sharp eyes of the CBC teams.
The Amagansett-Montauk village area was relatively quite otherwise. I found
a single COMMON REDPOLL on the west side of Montauk Inlet where a 2nd cy
ICELAND GULL was feeding on the beach. Three GREAT CORMORANTS were on the
jetty towers. Another 2 COMMON REDPOLLS flew over me as I scoped Fort Pond
Bay, followed by a Merlin. The adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL ('Freddy') was
on the rocks along the western shore. Three immature WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS
were in a mixed sparrow flock that included some American Tree Sparrows at
Hither Hills. There wasn't much activity on the ocean. Belated reports from
last weekend include a female KING EIDER with Common Eiders off the beach at
Kirk Park in Montauk Village. A 1st winter GLAUCOUS GULL and RED-NECKED
GREBE at Ditch Plains.
--
Angus Wilson
New York City & The Springs, NY, USA
http://birdingtotheend.blogspot.com/
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